North Korea refuses medical aid from South, seeks ‘respect, solicitude, sincerity’

North Korea on Thursday refused medical aid from South Korea, saying Seoul should show “utmost respect, solicitude and sincerity” first if it “really wants to reverse the relations” between the two countries.

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, called Seoul’s request for a UN exemption to provide medical equipment to North Korea an “insult to our state,” a politically motivated provocation and a “grave encroachment” on its national law, according to a statement published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

“Under the present situation, those, who must be aware of the fact that medical equipment supported by the ROK cannot enter our territory and there is no way for introducing them, are resorting to such a farce,” she said, also calling it “a sinister political calculation to get anything by comparing their ‘well-meaning attitude’ with our ‘conflicting attitude’ to reject them.”

If Seoul wants to “reverse the relations” between South and North Korea, “they should be conscious of their rival’s feelings in every word and action and show their utmost respect, solicitude and sincerity before anything,” Kim said.

“We have nothing to exchange or go with the ROK and no need to face to face with it. We make it clear once again that it is the unshakable stand of the DPRK,” she added.

Tensions have remained high between the two sides since last month’s land mine explosion on South Korea’s side of the Military Demarcation Line, which severely injured two South Korean soldiers.

Seoul accused Pyongyang of deliberately planting the mines, while North Korea denied the allegation.

South Korea’s top military commander said Thursday that he had not regarded the recent mine blast near the inter-Korean border as anything other than a “provocation” by North Korea, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Kim, meanwhile, called Seoul’s aid proposal “another farce, orchestrated in parallel with the ‘mine explosion’ farce,” describing it as “an extraordinary spectacle.”